835: Dedicated to Clinical Care and Conducting Research to Combat Childhood Cancers - Dr. Uri Tabori
Release Date: 10/20/2025
845: Decoding the Role of Biophysical Signals in Health and Disease - Dr. Nirosha Murugan
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Nirosha J. Murugan is a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Tissue Biophysics as well as Distinguished Research Chair and Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her research focuses on how our bodies, cells, and tissues communicate with each other from the molecular scale all the way up to our organs, physiology, and consciousness. She is interested in the kinds of information that are shared, including light, electromagnetic fields, and electricity, as well as the physics of how the information is transmitted. Her lab develops tools to record...
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844: Applying Physics and Nanotechnology to Understand Mechanics and Shape in Biological Systems - Dr. Sonia Contera
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Sonia Contera is an Associate Professor of Biological Physics at the University of Oxford Physics Department, and a Research Fellow of Green Templeton College. She is also the author of the recently released book Nano comes to Life. Sonia is a physicist who is interested in biology and the mechanics of biology across different space and time scales. She develops experiments and techniques to understand the physics that allow biological systems to build nano-scale molecules into cells, organs, tissues, and organisms. Projects in Sonia’s lab include studying and treating pancreatic tumors,...
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843: Breaking Down the Mysteries of Digestion in Animals With Unusual Diets - Dr. Donovan German
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Donovan German is Associate Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. Donovan aims to better understand how materials move through the gut, which enzymes are secreted during digestion, what microbes are present, and what role these microbes play. In particular, Donovan focuses his research on animals with unusual diets, such as fish that eat wood or algae, to understand how these foods are digested and how animals can survive on these lower quality foods. Beyond his interests in science, Donovan loves...
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842: Investigating the Biology and Origins of Small Cell Lung Cancer - Dr. Trudy Oliver
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Trudy G. Oliver is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology as well as a Duke Science and Technology Scholar at Duke University. Trudy’s research focuses on small cell lung cancer, a disease known for its remarkable ability to "shape-shift" or undergo cellular plasticity. This adaptability allows cancer cells to change types and develop different therapeutic vulnerabilities (or invulnerabilities), making treatment especially challenging and preventing the development of a one-size-fits-all approach. When she’s not in the lab, Trudy unwinds with walks, jogs,...
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841: Investigating How Brain Damage Occurs in Stroke and Developing Therapies to Improve Stroke Recovery - Dr. Ian Winship
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Ian Winship is an Associate Professor and a former Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Scholar in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta. He is also Director of the Neurochemical Research Unit there. Ian is interested in understanding how we can reduce the damage early after a stroke and ways we can improve recovery in people who had a stroke a long time ago. His research also examines changes in the brain that lead to symptoms in other brain disorders like schizophrenia. Much of Ian’s free time is spent on or near the ice rink. He coaches his son’s hockey team and...
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840: Investigating Issues at the Intersection of People, Policy, and Marine and Coastal Environments - Dr. Ana Spalding
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Ana Spalding is Assistant Professor of Marine and Coastal Policy and Affiliate Faculty at the Pacific Marine Energy Center at Oregon State University. She is also a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama as well as at the Coiba Research Station in Panama. As a social scientist who works in marine and coastal policy, Ana’s research is focused on the intersections of people, the environment, and policies. She is interested in understanding people’s perceptions of the ocean and coast, policy and management frameworks surrounding resource use in...
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839: Managing Ant Infestations and Invasions and Studying Ant-Pathogen Interactions - Dr. Scotty Yang
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Chin-Cheng “Scotty” Yang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech. Scotty’s research focuses on ants. He’s interested in understanding their fascinating biology and how they respond to pathogens, as well as finding better ways to control ant infestations and invasive ant populations. When he’s not working, Scotty spends most of his free time with his two kids, and he especially enjoys playing and coaching basketball. He’s a passionate fan who even adopted the name of his basketball hero, Scottie Pippen. He received his BS, MS, and PhD degrees...
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838: Examining Interactions Between Changes in Earth's Environments, Extinction Events, and Evolution of Life - Dr. Jonathan Payne
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Jonathan Payne is a Professor and Chair of Geological Sciences at Stanford University. He also holds a courtesy appointment in Biology, is a Member of Stanford’s interdisciplinary biosciences institute Bio-X, and is an Affiliate of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Jonathan studies the history of life on Earth. He is interested in the interactions between the changes in earth’s environments and the evolution of life on Earth. In particular, Jonathan focuses on large extinction events like asteroid impacts and volcanic eruptions, and how these impacted life in the...
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837: Developing Novel Nature-Inspired Drug Delivery Systems - Dr. Kathryn Whitehead
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Kathryn (Katie) Whitehead is an Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University where she also holds a courtesy appointment in Biomedical Engineering. Katie received her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware and her PhD in chemical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Afterwards, she conducted postdoctoral research in the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. Katie has received numerous awards and honors, including the DARPA Young Faculty Award, the DARPA Director’s Fellowship, the...
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836: Investigating the Impacts of Emotions on Behaviors, Thoughts, and Decisions - Dr. Heather Lench
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Heather Lench is Professor in Psychological and Brain Sciences and Senior Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs at Texas A&M University. Heather’s research focuses on emotions, and how emotions affect people, their thinking, and their behavior. She is particularly interested in anger and boredom. In her free time, Heather enjoys exploring a variety of hobbies, and her favorite pastimes continue to change over time. She loves going scuba diving, painting, reading, long-distance running, and glassblowing. A few years ago, she also began to experiment with building things with power...
info_outlineDr. Uri Tabori is a Staff Physician in the Division of Haematology/Oncology, Senior Scientist in the Genetics & Genome Biology program, and Principal Investigator of The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). Uri is also a Professor in Paediatrics and Associate Professor in the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto. Uri works as a physician treating kids with cancer, particularly brain tumors. Through his research, he is working to identify drugs and make new discoveries that may cure cancers or improve patients’ lives. When he’s not hard at work in the lab or clinic, Uri enjoys spending time with his family, watching American football, and exploring the wilderness of Canada. He is especially fond of canoeing and canoe camping with his family. He received his MD from the Hadassah School of Medicine of Hebrew University in Israel. Afterwards, he completed a Rotating Internship and his Residency in Pediatrics at the Sorasky Medical Center in Israel. Next, Uri accepted a Fellowship in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel. He served as a Staff Physician in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at The Sheba Medical Center for about a year before accepting a Research and Clinical Fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children in Canada SickKids where he remains today. Over the course of his career, Uri has received numerous awards and honors, including the Early Researcher Award from the Ontario Ministry of Development and Innovation, the New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institute of Health Research, the Junior Physician Research Award from the University of Toronto Department of Pediatrics, The New Investigator Award from the Terry Fox Foundation, A Eureka! new investigator award from the International Course of Translational Medicine, A Merit Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, and The Young Investigator Award from the Canadian Neuro-Oncology Society. In our interview, Uri shares more about his life, science, and clinical care.